Over P360 Million Lost to ‘Ghost Students’ in Government Funds
In a shocking revelation, the Philippine government has incurred a loss of approximately P360 million due to over 19,000 ‘ghost students’ who received educational vouchers under the Expanded Government Assistance to Students and Teachers in Private Education (E-GASTPE) program, administered by the Department of Education (DepEd).
During a Senate hearing, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, chair of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, raised concerns about private schools charging the government for students who seemingly do not exist, as there is no evidence or documentation to prove their enrollment.
Rodrick Edsel Malonzo, the Monitoring and Processing Officer of the Private Education Assistance Committee, responded by classifying these students as ‘undocumented’ rather than ‘ghosts’. However, the Commission on Audit (COA) has identified 115 senior high school student beneficiaries from the 2016-2017 school year as ‘ghost students’ after they received vouchers twice within a single year.
Imelda Celso from COA clarified that these students were not necessarily ‘ghosts’ but victims of a monitoring error that led to a duplication in the voucher distribution list.
The government is now seeking a refund of P239 million for the vouchers distributed to these undocumented students. Furthermore, Senator Gatchalian estimates an additional P7 billion in potential losses from the voucher program due to funds not reaching the intended students.
This incident has sparked a nationwide debate on the integrity of educational assistance programs and the need for stringent verification processes to prevent such financial leakages in the future.